The present invention relates to music performance training apparatus and methods which present to a user instructions for operating performance operating members (or operators) to allow the user to practice a music performance, and more particularly to a technique arranged to evaluate a user's chord performance by determining that user's chord performance operation is accurate not only when the user has accurately executed performance operation for (i.e., entered) all component notes of an instructed chord but also when the user has executed performance operation only for a root note of an instructed chord.
Heretofore, as one of music performance training functions possessed by electronic music apparatus, such as electronic keyboard instruments, a chord performance training function has been known which sequentially presents names of chords to a user to allow the user (human player or trainee) to actually depress keyboard keys corresponding to the presented chord names and which evaluates a user's performance of each presented or instructed chord by determining whether the user has accurately executed key depression operation for the chord. One example of such a function (or technique) is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. HEI-2-32635 (hereinafter referred to as “the patent literature”).
If a user has not accurately executed key depression operation for (i.e., entered) all component notes of a presented or instructed chord, the conventionally-known chord performance practicing function disclosed in the patent literature does not determine that the user's performance or entry of the chord is not accurate. However, it is generally very difficult to accurately execute key depression operation for all of chord component notes from the beginning; particularly, a beginner user can not accurately perform key depression for all of chord component notes even if he or she has tried over and over again, and thus, the user may often get sick of and give up the chord performance practice on the way. Thus, there has been a great demand for a chord performance training apparatus which is constructed to regard or determine user's performance operation to be accurate, not only when the user has accurately executed performance operation for (i.e., entered) all component notes of a presented chord but also when the user has executed simplified performance operation without accurately executing performance operation for (i.e., entered) all component notes of a presented chord.